Risk factors for UTIs
You can take steps to reduce your chances of developing a urinary tract infection (UTI). Knowing how to control some of your risk factors may help you prevent a UTI.
Risk factors that you can control include:
- Hygiene. After using the bathroom, women should always wipe themselves from front to back. The most common cause of a UTI is growth of bacteria in the urinary tract, usually Escherichia coli (E. coli), a type of bacteria commonly found in the area around the rectum.
- Not drinking enough fluids. Drinking more fluids causes a person to urinate more frequently, reducing the levels of bacteria in the urinary tract and bladder.
- Sexual activity. Urination after sexual intercourse decreases the risk of urinary tract infections in women.
- Use of a contraceptive diaphragm, which may cause increased risk of UTIs.
- Use of a spermicide. Studies have shown that a woman may be 3 times more likely to get a UTI if her sex partner uses a condom coated with a spermicide.
- Use of feminine hygiene sprays or frequent douching.
| Author: | Jan Nissl, RN, BS | Last Updated: May 17, 2007 |
| Medical Review: | William M. Green, MD - Emergency Medicine Philip Belitsky, MD, FRCSC - Urology | |
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